1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to card clothing tops which are adapted to be fastened to the flats in a card clothing machine, and more specifically, to a card clothing clipped top.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Conventional carding machines are known in the textile field for combing and teasing uncarded fibers to form a web. Such a carding machine is shown in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,677. These conventional carding machines generally comprise a rotating carding cylinder and a plurality of flat bars, commonly called flats, which surround about one-third of the surface of the carding cylinder. The surfaces of both the cylinder and the flats are usually toothed or provided with upstanding wires, pins or needles so that the interaction of the cyclinder and the flats will comb and clean the fibers.
The carding teeth, however, are not generally mounted directly to the flat but are embedded in or otherwise secured to a strip that is known as a card clothing top. The top may be secured to the flat by a variety of methods thereby making the top adaptable to virtually any carding machine. For example, the top may be glued to the flat, or be in the form of a plastic cap which is molded to be fitted over the flat. More typically, however, a clip is used on each side of the card top to attach the top to the flat.
It has been customary in the card clothing industry to have the clips permanently attached to the card tops by the manufacturer before the tops are sent to the mills. When the mill receives the card top from the manufacturer, all that needs to be done is to slip the top over the flat and put it in a bedding machine to bend the bottom ends of the clip around the bottom surface of the flat, thereby securing it.
One example of a prior art clip is that shown in Staubli, U.S. Pat. No. 571,985, which is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the present application. Staubli discloses a card clothing top having a cloth base which carries a number of upstanding pins, and a clip on each side of the cloth base for attaching the card top to the flat. Staubli's clip comprises a top portion forming a horizontal tab which rests on the top surface of the cloth base and a plurality of triangular teeth which are bent out of the side of the clip and forced upwardly into the bottom of the cloth base. Thus, Staubli's clip actually penetrates into the cloth base to securely engage the clip to the card top.
Another prior art type of clip for use with a card top having a cloth base is shown in FIG. 2. In this arrangement, the cloth base carries a plurality of upstanding pins and includes a rectangular frame which extends around the periphery of the base outside of the pins. The clips include a plurality of teeth which are bent downwardly over the rectangular frame and into the top surface of the cloth base. Thus, both the clips of Staubli and those shown in FIG. 2 utilize a penetrating toothed engagement into a soft cloth base so that the clip can be attached to the card top at the factory for shipment to the mill.
However, new types of card clothing tops have been developed of the type shown in the applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,677. Such card tops generally comprise a rigid plastic base having a plurality of rows of metallic teeth extending upwardly therefrom. A problem associated with this type of top that the conventional clips known in the prior art for attaching the card tops to the flats cannot be preassembled to the tops at the factory since the teeth upon which the conventional clips depend for engagement are not able to penetrate into the rigid plastic base of the tops.
It has, therefore, been necessary to send the new plastic backed card tops and the clips, such as those shown in FIG. 6 in the applicant's prior patent, from the factory to the mills in a disassembled condition. These clips must then be applied to both the tops and the flat when they are assembled at the mill. Such an arrangement has many disadvantages since the bedding machines which are used to bend the clips around the flats are not designed to readily handle loose clips. Moreover, attaching the clips both to the flats and to the tops is a difficult and time consuming proposition when the clips are not preassembled to the tops.